“Any colored man who has served in the wa’ ought to be honored,” Ginny said. “Colored men don’t get no respect. I’m sho glad the peoples came out for Willie.”
“You right; so many coloreds go unnoticed,” Momma said.
“What got under my skin was Pearl Brown. She left with a white man in a new, shiny black Studebaker…one of them just like Mr. Ferguson drive,” Carl said.
Simon shook his head. “He’s the man accused of killing Willie.”
“Now that is a damn shame,” Ginny said.
“I told ya’ll that woman is trouble,” Momma reminded us.
“Yes, she is something else. She is the devil, I tell you, the devil.”
Then I said, “We don’t know what really happened. Only Ms. Pearl can tell us, and the white man.”
“The devil, I tell you. It ain’t nothing but the devil,” Momma added.
Nobody really knew Pearl Brown. We knew the show girl, the entertainer, the singer, yet none of us could relate to her. Nobody had actually had more than a passing conversation with her. We all were on the outside gazing in, wondering what her life was about. We all had formulated opinions, but nobody could say much. Just like the murder of Herman Camm, it was also a mystery. Jefferson County had more to gossip about now, than when I’d left. All I knew was getting out of Jefferson County again would be on the top of my list of things to do and as soon as possible.
Chapter 13
Simon drove the speed limit and more trying to get us out of Jefferson, and I was elated when we sped past the Ferguson house on our way back to 460, a two-lane highway leading back to Richmond. I hoped Bobby was done on his venture to find a killer, something which he really didn’t care about, only saw it as a way to harass colored folks. I was a better sheriff than him; I thought I knew who killed the monster.
“I don’t like that cracker,” Simon said as we passed the Fergusons’ mansion. Although I would never say it out loud, I hated Mrs. Ferguson, too, for the way she looked down her pointed nose at my momma. I didn’t like my momma being directed to the back door instead of the front door when she came to clean.
“Simon, I’ve never heard you call someone out of their name before.”
“Bobby brings out the worst in everybody. He don’t like coloreds and will do anything to bring them down.”
“Who do you think killed Camm, Simon?” I asked, almost knowing the answer.
“I don’t know, and don’t give a damn,” he said, and I watched a frown ripple across his forehead.
“You all right?” I asked.
Simon inhaled and said, “He did a lot of things to a lot of people around Jefferson. He wanted to die. He was ordering his own death sentence.”
“Nobody wants to die.”
“Carrie, he hurt you, your momma and Pearl. He was a gambler, a drunk and a careless bastard. He set his own self up. I just can’t feel sorry for him.”
“Nobody has the right to take a life,” I argued, even though I knew Camm didn’t care about nobody.
“Right, unless you don’t care about living. So to me he got exactly what he deserved,” Simon said, without blinking an eye.
“When will we be able to put this behind us?”
“Now, we will. That sheriff questioned you, and forgot about me. I could have killed him myself.”
When he made the comment, I stared at him. The serious glare that was in his eyes was far too cold for the Simon I loved.
“You couldn’t have killed him. There is no way you did it.”
Simon didn’t comment. He just kept his eyes steady on the road, grinding his teeth like a madman.
I was beginning to believe there were more things about my husband I knew little about. I still remembered the lady in the club and how she had approached Simon. I wonder where they had met, and why he didn’t take the time to explain her presence. Eventually, it would all come out. I prayed it was something I could understand.
The winds had picked up and we’d weathered the pitter-patter of thunderous rain most of the way home. Even though the red country dirt had splashed all over Simon’s Ford. He had a lot of pride in that car. He said he’d bought it from a white man in Baltimore, Maryland. The man was feeling kind of terrible about the way he’d treated his own colored children, so when he was full of liquor, he decided to sell Simon his car for next to nothing. Simon bought the car, and the white man freed his soul. Now both of them were happy. “Soon the rain ends, I’m gonna clean my tires off. A man can’t drive around with dirt on his vehicle. I don’t want the folks to say we don’t deserve it.”
“I’m tired of worrying about people. I just want things to be right for us.”
Simon tapped me on the thigh. “We gonna be all right.”
We pulled into Richmond just as the rain stopped. The only sign left was a beautiful fall rainbow. Robert slept the entire trip back. I missed Momma and Ginny already, although the town, I could learn to forget. But how could I separate the people from the town? The town was made unattractive to young people looking for opportunities. Mainly it was the white people who treated the coloreds like they were still second class, and worked us like slaves. The coloreds didn’t embrace education, because their focus was on commerce, making farming a business. We all knew farming could never be a lucrative money-maker as long as the white man didn’t pay fair wages. I was glad Robert would be raised in an environment where the most powerful woman in the community was colored and she owned a bank.
As soon as we had put our things away, and Robert was in the bed, Simon said, “I will be going out again tomorrow.”
I didn’t get upset like I had time and time again. I had some things I wanted to do too. “I figured you’d have to go. Let me iron your laundry.”
“Do you have to do it tonight?”
“I guess I can do it before you leave in the morning.”
“I’m surprised at your reaction to me leaving.”
“What do you mean?”
“You seem to want me to leave.”
“I guess I’m getting used to you leaving. Anything can get old.”
“You sure you are all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“You don’t have another man walking around here, do you?”
“I can’t believe you said that to me.”
“I can tell things are different. You are not worried about the sheriff in Jefferson, are you?”
“No, I am just growing up. I realize you have to leave and there is no sense in making a big deal about it. You are going to leave anyhow.”
“I sort of liked it when you begged me to stay.” He chuckled.
“It didn’t do any good.”
Simon decided to change the subject, “I can’t believe we just left a funeral. Willie was living and smiling like a Cheshire cat at the club. The man appeared proud of his wife and his life.”
“I know. Who would have thought he’d be dead.”
“We were having a good time until the shots rang out in our ears.”
“I can’t believe Ms. Pearl has to deal with the loss of another lover.”
“I think Pearl moves on pretty quickly. She appears to be a lady with her own plans in life. It is a shame two men have lost their lives.”
“Yes, especially Willie, who wanted only to love her.”
At that moment, the girl from the club flashed up in my memory.
“By the way, Simon, who was the woman who visited our table at the club?”
“She is just someone I met awhile ago.”
“Where?”
“It don’t matter. I’m married to you.”
“I want to know.”
“She ain’t nobody, Carrie,” he said.
“Well, you are somebody to her,” I replied, waiting for a reaction.
“I knew her before we were married.”
“But, I thought I was your only girlfriend.”
“You were. She is just someone I met at the club one night when we were on
a break.”
“We are married.”
“We were not married. I wouldn’t do that to you. She and I had a conversation and that is the end of it,” he answered, glancing in every direction but mine.
He didn’t appear believable. When he talked about her, he intentionally didn’t look me in the face, and the darkness in his eyes led me to think he was hiding something. Simon was one of the most sincere people I knew. He kept promises, and was mature beyond his twenty years. This was the first time I felt he was not telling me the truth, and it bothered me even if she meant nothing to him.
Simon reached over to touch me. “She just wants what you have.”
“Why, though?”
“I danced with her one time in the club. I told her my name and I told her about you. She still tried to catch my attention. I don’t want her, just like I don’t want Nadine. I waited for you. You are the woman I married.”
All of a sudden, the fence I had around me fell down. I could feel the sincerity again. I believed what he said. However, the story about one dance I didn’t feel certain about.
I soon realized it was my last night with Simon before he was off again. And this time he said he’d be gone a month. They were doing the last of the fall training. Afterward, he would be home for the entire months of January and February. Now that Rube Foster had already established the National Colored League, and Simon played on the associated team on the East Coast, he was headed south to try out for the newly formed Colored Southern League and he had a good chance of playing for the Birmingham Black Barons. If all failed, Simon would continue playing on one of Virginia’s independent teams. Simon would not rest until he played next to the greats like Pop Lloyd, Rube Foster or Virginia’s own Pete Hill.
“Carrie, this is our last night together for a while. Let’s enjoy each other.”
“I know.” It was the moment my emotions began to kick in. I couldn’t wait to be with him. “But, I have one more question…”
Simon put his hand over my lips, “No more questions. You are my wife—only you.”
He led me to the bedroom. Before I could undress, he lifted me onto the bed, passionately kissing me. He assisted me in peeling off my clothes, first my blouse and then my skirt. He kissed me on the neck and then my back, so passionate I became breathless, and vulnerable to his touch. He used his tongue to titillate my skin, sending chills all the way down to my spine. I kissed his neck, too, and rubbed his hairy chest. His breathing was rapid. I could hear every breath he took. He was anxious, and so was I. After he was fully naked and so was I, I wrapped my legs around his athletic hard body, and inhaled as he entered me in full force. I forgot about everything, and concentrated on enjoying making love to my husband.
Chapter 14
I woke up to the aroma of food cooking in the kitchen. Before I could get dressed fully, Simon came into the bedroom with Robert in his arms. He coaxed me back into the unmade bed, and placed a plate of food in front of me. I smiled. He had prepared bacon, eggs and toast. It was the first time I’d been served in bed. I ate as slowly as I could, knowing afterward Simon would be packing his things for a long trip down South.
All morning I expected a knock on my door. However, this time Nadine didn’t show up and I found myself smiling from the relief. I had been practicing for over a week on a way to tell her to stay home and find a man of her own. I was tired of her interruptions and passes toward my husband. My plan was to get rid of her for good. Late in the afternoon, as I watched Simon neatly fold his clothes and place them in the duffle bag, a knot came in my throat, as I struggled to find the words to tell him about me going away to school.
“I want to talk to you about something,” I struggled to say.
“Please don’t start with me about that woman. I told you she is nobody to me,” he immediately assured me.
“That was not what I wanted to talk to you about,” I said, wondering why he was always on the defensive lately.
He turned toward me, but a frown greeted me. “What is it, then?”
“Nothing,” I mumbled. His reaction had silenced me.
When his face finally relaxed, he said, “Come on; tell me what is bothering you.”
“It can wait. We’ll talk when you get back,” I said, escaping from the conversation.
He gazed at me hard. “This time I hate to leave. I’ve never been gone this long. Will you be all right?”
“I’ll be fine. The Halls are downstairs. They are like family. Robert really loves them, and they treat us like family. We will be all right.”
“I will be back home as soon as I can,” he said, throwing the last pair of pants in the bag.
“You have to be careful going way down south,” I said, remembering Bobby, Mrs. Ferguson and most of all the other white people in Jefferson County. “They ain’t too keen on socializing or getting along with colored people.”
“It’s a bunch of us going. We know the way white folk treat coloreds. They are always searching for a reason to hang us or lock us up. We’re gonna stick together. When we do stop, it will be at other colored’s houses. They will feed us and give us a place to sleep. Besides, I ain’t no fool. I can handle myself.”
While he was assuring himself, I got up, went into the kitchen and packed up the leftover chicken that had been in the icebox. I put it in a brown paper sack along with several slices of white bread. I put a cloth napkin in the bag also. I knew there would be no place for them to eat along the road. Colored folk couldn’t eat at white folks’ places. The papers said two colored boys had been dragged and killed in North Carolina. They had been beaten and dragged behind a car until they were not recognizable. The only way they could be identified was by the clothes they were wearing. Simon was not a fearful kind of man, yet I couldn’t believe it was safe to travel anywhere alone. I was glad there would be four of them.
“You be careful,” I said to him.
He forced a smile, “Now don’t worry. I’ll be all right.” He patted his shirt pocket. “We got papers with us. We got identification. We will be on the main roads all the way. It is two cars of cats trying to get with the Barons. It is four of us, and three in the Chevy behind us.”
Deep down I didn’t want him to make the team down south. Mrs. Miller, my grade school teacher, said colored people in the South were treated worse than a dog. She told us to try to move north if we could and get away from the Jim Crow laws. She said the South didn’t like coloreds and the men who wore the white sheets were as “dumb as a nail.” She said they killed just because they could and would get away with it. I couldn’t stand the thought of things being any worse than they already were for colored people. We had our own businesses, restaurants and schools; we really didn’t need white people. There were a few complaints about the quality of the colored places, but at least we had our own.
Simon handed Robert to me. He kissed me tenderly on the lips and gave me a “month hug” as he called it.
“I love you!” I said.
When he went out the door, Robert and I watched him get into the car and drive through the trees down the street and out of sight.
“It’s just you and me, baby,” I whispered to Robert.
He pursed his lips to cry, but ended up smiling instead.
I got back in the bed and held Robert close to me. He closed his little eyes and we both went off to sleep.
When the moon had crept out into the dark sky and the stars appeared close enough to touch, we woke up. Robert was a good child. He was nothing like his father. Or was his father like that before the world got to him? I didn’t know. Robert was so precious. When I finally opened my eyes in the dark, he was awake beside me, contently playing with his toes. I turned on the lamp. I got up and finished putting together Robert’s clothes for my trip to Petersburg, Virginia. I felt bad for deliberately not sharing my information. I didn’t think Simon would take too kindly to me leaving Robert for the week. As I laid out my clothes for my trip to Petersburg, tears welled up in
my eyes. I didn’t know how I could leave Robert either.
Simon had not been gone but two days before Nadine knocked on the door. I opened the door with my arms full. I was about to take Robert’s things downstairs to the Halls.
She peeked in my door. “You here by yourself?” she asked, looking around as if she expected Simon to jump out and surprise her.
“Yes,” I answered, opening the door wide enough for her to enter.
She sat down in the paisley-colored chair across from the davenport. “My ole man said he saw you on the train,” she said, crossing her legs and looking away from me as if I made her sick.
I stared at her before I said a word. My palms were clammy and my nerves were rattled. Nadine had that effect on me. Her annoying and flirty ways bothered me.
“Why were you messing with my man?” she boldly asked.
I cleared my throat and took a deep breath before answering her. “Nadine, I only spoke to him. I don’t mess around. I have a husband.”
“When I seen him, he come talking about how good you looked,” she said as she cut her eyes my way.
“He can say whatever, Nadine. I don’t have any feelings about your husband. All I did was speak to him. He is my neighbor, right?”
“Why did he make it seem like ya’ll had something going on then?” she asked, leaning in, her eyes wide open and fully engaged as if I irritated her.
“He was trying to make you jealous, I guess. Maybe he wants you back. Don’t you want him back?”
She threw her head back. “He wants me at home all the damn time. I’m too young to be tied down. I ain’t that type of girl.”
“I understand you, but I have a husband. I don’t need yours too.”
“Simon ain’t around,” she snapped.
“But, he is my husband.” I put my hand on my hips. “Nadine, listen, I’ll say it again. I don’t want your husband. I have one of my own.”
An Elderberry Fall Page 9
